Academic and Psychological Consequences of Imposed Career Choices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the academic and psychological consequences of imposed career choices of undergraduate students in Odisha. The sample consisted of 160 undergraduate respondents who were randomly selected from different colleges of Odisha in different streams such as Arts, Commerce, Science and Engineering. The instrument used was a questionnaire which was personally administered to the respondents by the researcher. Hypothesis was formulated and tested using Chi-square and t-test analyses. The research reveals that the social assumptions, in which the parents influence the students’ career choice, are not as valid so far as they have been believed in the society. The findings showed that if the students choose their career by themselves, they are more successful in academics and score more in their overall satisfaction and confidence level in academics. Thus, they have high self esteem and they are not stressed out or frustrated. The results seem to indicate that imposed career choice leads to greater frustration and depression among the students. The study infers that the children need parental trust and confidence for their career choice. Thus, instead of imposing their choices, parents have to understand the students’ psyche and interests for arriving at a conclusion regarding the choice of academic streams.